Henry ansot



(No Model.)

H. ANSOT.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

No. 279,517. Patented June 19,1883."

INVENTDR.

n. PETERS. Plwhrl-Rhvlnphn. WuhinM ILC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ANSOT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,517, dated June 19, 1883.

Application filed April 27. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ANso'r, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, State and county of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Pertaining to Electric-Arc Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that kind of electric lamps sometimes called differential lamps, in which the adjustment of the carbons is aceomplished by the relative resistance of a derived or shunt circuit, and of that part of the main circuit passing through the lamp; and it has for its object the providing of a feeding device for the carbons, whereby they shall first be separated to the extent required for the best working length of the voltaic' arc, and "maintained in such separate relation till the carbons are consumed to a point necessitating readjustment, when the carbon-supporting rod will be fed forward till the carbons touch, or to some fixed point, and again retracted to separate the carbons, as before; and my invention consists in an improved form of clamp or clutch arranged to engage with the carbonsupporting rod, which is composed of two separate parts linked or hinged together, one of which is operated by the armature or armatures of two magnets of different resistance.

Heretofore the clutches generally used to hold and lift the carbon-supporting rod of electric lamps have usually consisted of a circular ring or washer somewhat larger than. the rod it encircled. Such a washer, when raised on one side, would be tilted against the rod, and by its angular pressure upon it'take hold thereon and retain or lift it. This form of clutch is not even in its action and does not furnish that uniform feed of the carbons toward each other necessary to a steady light, for, having only an angular bearing upon the carbon-supporting rod, and the magnet which operates it being very sensitive to any changes in the volume or intensity of the current passing through the carbons, it releases and reclaims its hold upon the rod at every fluctuation of the current, and in such an irregular manner that the length of the voltaic arc is constantly changing and rarely uniform.

Then, too, the bearing of such a ring upon the carbon rod being but a point, or, at the most, a line or edge,the rod speedily becomes abraded and indented a condition which increases the already too ir-- regular action of the ring-clutch, and renders it liable to bind on the rod and stop the operation of the lamp. That such form of clutch does not give the best results is further apparent when it is considered that the voltaic arc must have a certain fixed length with a given current in order to produce the best effect; that any deviation from this length, while it may not extinguish thelight, changes its intensity, and that better practical results follow when the carbons are retained in one position as long as the light continues well developed and at suitable periods quickly readjusted, than to attempt to give them a continuous feed forward that shall allow for the modifying conditions of consumption, as the former course results in their being properly separated a greater proportion of the time, and the latter in their only approximating to such separation.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 is a side view or elevation of the box containing the regulating apparatus with the front removed. Fig. 2 is a plan or 'top view of the same with the top removed,

and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail side views of the clutch employed by me in the open and closed positions. In these views the base of the lamp and the lower-carbon holder, as also the lower end of the upper-carbon holder, have been omitted, as they are of any common construction.

The letter A represents a box' on the top of the lamp, containing the regulating apparatus, through the top andbottom of which passes the rod B, to which is attached the upper carbon of the lamp, and the letters A A represent side bars, which extend down a suitable distance and suspend the base of thelamp, from which projects the lower carbon.

C is an electro-magnet of large wire having a low resistance, and forms apart of the main circuit. The current entering at c from the bindingpost D, passing on to the rod B and down through the carbons, returns in one of IOC the side bars, A, and issues at the bindingpost 1*]. r

F is a helix or solenoid com )osin a )art of a sluuit-circuit, c 0, external to the circuit through the carbons and joining themaiu line at D E, and, consisting ol" liner wire, it is of joined together by two links, 1. One-halfot this clutch I1 is hinged to the armature G, and this armature has a further support on the fork .T, vibrating in the fixed liiearings K on the wall of the box A. The half]: of this clutch rides on an adjustable rod, L, borne on the lixed arm M, and this rod L is provided with a spiral spring, I, bearing against a pin, I, in the rod and against one ol' the projections on the back of the clutch through which the rod L passes.

It will nowbc seen, the carbons being incontact and the post I) having been connected to some source of electrical energy, that the current passes through the coils of the magnet down through the carbons and out at 1!]; that under these conditions the armature G is drawn toward the poles of the magnet 0, raising the hall" 7: ol" the clutch as far as the connectingliuks T will permit, thus clutching the rod 13, and that, as this is accomplished before the armature has reached the full extent of its up ward movement", its liirther motion serves to lift the rod B and the attached carbon, the spring N yielding for this purpose, thus separating the carbons and developing the voltaic are between them. The upward movement of the arnuilture is limited by the head of the rod L, against which the clutch strikes. It will also be seen that when the rod B has been clutched and raised a magnetic attraction in the helix F stronger than that in the helices U will draw its movable core down into it,

allow the rod B to descend, bringing the carbons into contact, and release the grasp of the clutch on the carbonsupporting rod. Therefore, as the relative force of the helix F and ot the helices of the magnet (7 depends upon the strength of the currents of electricity passing through them, and as this depends upon the relative resistance of their circuits, the one circuit consisting of the helix F and its connections to the main circuit 1) E, and the other consisting of the helices ot' the magnet (I, the two carbons, and the are between them, the resistance of the former being constant and. that ol' the latter being variable and dependent upon the length of the arc orthe distance of the carbons apart, as this distance increases by the consumption of the carbons the resistance of the circuit also increases, causing a proportionate deviation of the current to the helix F, and so augments its power that when the arc is of too great lengthit will attract the armature to it. As the armature descends, the carbonsupporting rod falls by the force of gravity till the carbons touch, and, the grasp of the clutch being loosened, 'lccds forward the upper carbon according to the amount which. has been consumed. 'lhis lowers the resistance of the are, whereupon a greater proportion of the electric current passes through thc'helices ol' the magnet than through the helix F, and generates a superior upward attraction upon the armatu re G,wl1ich, in conjunction with the clutch H, again hits the carbon-supporting rod and separates the carbons, and this separate relation of the can bons is maintained until the attractive force of the helix F exceeds that ol' the helices of the magnet (f, when the :l'eed ol' the upper carbon downward is repeated.

Although the apparatus thus far described full y operative, the operation of the clutch is more certain if a spring, N, be used to assist in bringing the parts of the clutch into a binding position by holding down one part while the other is being closed upon the carbon-supporting rod, thus expediting their action. Since the approach of the armatu re to the helix F will not unclasp the clutch until the hall ll has come to a stop, and this because the cl utch has an equally rapid motion with the armature from the action of gravity and the spring N, the absolute contact of the carbons is insured whenever they move toward each other at all, and any partial, interrupted, or irregularleed thereof is prevented; but when it is desired that the carbons shall not touch, a stop, I, is provided. In this case it is a shoulder on the rod L to arrest and loosen the clutch just before the core of the helix F has reached. the limit of its downward movement and before the carbons have come in contact. In this case the clutch reasserts its control. upon the carbon rod before the carbons have touched and keeps them separated as long as the current flows.

Different forms may be given to the component parts of the clutch, as may be suggested by the cross-section of the rod they support, without altering their essential features, which are their extended bearings, as distinguished from an angular or rounded beari n and their .link or hinge connections.

hat is claimed as new is- 1. In combination with the carbon-holder of an electric lamp, a clutch composed of two parts havingv extended bearing-surlaces, between which the carbon rod is grasped, such parts being linked or hinged togetheraml o erated independently of each other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the carbon-holder of an electric lamp, a clutch composed of two parts having extended bearing-surfaces, between which. the carbon rod is grasped, such parts being linked or hinged together and hay ing independent motion, and a spring arranged to retain one of such parts in, a fixed position while the other is being brought to engage IIO meut with the carbonhohler, substantially as described.

. The combination, in an electric lamp, of

a carbon-holder, a clutch consisting of two ex cause it to engage with or disengage from the tended bearing-surfaces, between which the carbon rod, substantially as and for the purcm'bon rod is grasped, such bearing-surfaces pose described.

being linked together and having independent HENRY ANSOT. 5 motion, and the armature o1: miniatures of a \Vitnesses:

magnet of high and one of low resistance ar- JAMES S. GREVEs, v ranged to operate one part of the clutch and R. F. GAYLORD. 

